Puppet Showplace is New England's Puppet Theater; the first and only theater in the region solely dedicated to high-quality puppetry performance and education for audiences of all ages. Our blog helps readers plug into the puppetry community, learn about upcoming events, or take a behind-the scenes-tour of our many shows and classes.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Summer Saturday Family Workshop July 2nd!

THIS 4th of JULY WEEKEND!Summer Saturday Family Workshop:NEW! Our "Summer Saturday" family workshop series takes place on the first Saturday of each summer month (June, July, and August). These are participatory workshops where adults and children work together to build and perform with puppets. Space for these workshops is limited, so pre-registration is STRONGLY encouraged. Call the box office at 617-731-6400 today to reserve your space! Cost: $15/adult, $10/child (Member price $13/adult, $8/child).

Big Stories: Paul Bunyan & Participatory Puppet Theater

Sat | July 2 | 10:30am to 12:30pmAbout this workshop: Did you ever wonder how puppeteers tell such big stories with such small characters? Celebrate American Independence by bringing to life the classic American Folk Tale, Paul Bunyan! Families will learn how puppeteers use movement and sound to bring multiple styles of puppets to life. All participants will get to practice manipulation exercises with simple puppets provided by the instructor. Then, together we will put on a show!

About the artist: Brad Shur has been professionally involved in puppetry for over 10 years. He began as a performer with the Providence puppet and mask company Big Nazo while studying ﬁlm and animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has worked in various capacities with Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee), and Vermont PuppetTree, and as a builder has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, and other theaters and performers from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts. All of the puppets Brad uses in his performances come from his workshop, where he builds them by hand from wood, paper, plastic, foam and fabric. He's built and performed with rod puppets, hand puppets, shadow puppets, larger-than-life costume puppets, Japanese bunraku puppets and marionettes. His shows are high energy blends where at least a few of these styles come together with storytelling, original scripts, and lots of audience participation.

You can catch Brad at least twice monthly at Puppet Showplace Theatre, performing any one of six shows in his repertoire: "Raccoon Tales," "Here Come the Clowns," "The Singing Turtle," "Dr. Doohickey's Monster Machine," "The Carrot Salesman," and his newest production "The Magic Soup and Other Tales." His shows are high energy blends where at least a few of these styles come together with storytelling, original scripts, and lots of audience participation.